Displaceable ink and dampener rolls for reversible printing unit



June 23, 1970 P. HEIMLICHER 3,516,354

DISPLACEABLE INK AND DAMPENER ROLLS FOR REVERSIBLE PRINTING UNIT Filed Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR PHUL HEIMLICHER June 23', 1970 P. HEIMLICHER 3,516,354

DISPLACEABLE INK AND DAMPENER ROLLS FOR REVERSIBLE PRINTING UNIT Filed Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTIJR PAUL HEIMLIdHER mm M Wrw r United States Patent O US. Cl. 101--142 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reversible printing unit for offset rotary machines includes a plate cylinder in contact with a rubber cylinder which, in turn, contacts the web to be printed. In a first arrangement of the press unit, ink is supplied to the to the plate cylinder through a series of applicator rollers which include an ink applicator roller in contact with the plate cylinder. In addition, wetting rollers are arranged so that one of the wetting rollers applies a wiping fluid to the plate cylinder on the side thereof opposite to the direction of rotation of the plate cylinder so that it contacts the plate cylinder first. In addition, a secondary supply of ink is supplied from an ink applicator roller and a series of inking rollers one of which contacts the plate cylinder on a side of the first inking roller which is opposite to the location of the wetting rollers or at a spaced location from the first ink roller in the direction of rotation of the plate cy inder.

In accordance with a second arrangement of the unit, the reservoir supply for the wiping liquid and a wiping liquid roller is exchanged with one of the inking rollers so that the Wiping roller is arranged on the opposite side of the plate cylinder from the intermediate inking roller and again contacts the plate cylinder first, since the plate cylinder is rotated in an opposite direction. A further change is made in respect to one of the chain of inking rollers engaged with the ink applicating roller so that the transfer of ink through this series of rollers is effected to the plate cylinder directly after the first ink applicating roller in the direction of rotation of the plate cylinder. The construction is such that the paper may be fed for rotation of the rubber cylinder and plate cylinder in either direction of rotation and for locating the wetting rollers so that they act upon the plate cylinder immediately after it passes into engagement with the rubber cylinder and thereafter the plate cylinder is wiped by two successive ink rollers, regardless of the direction of rotation of the plate cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates, in general, to offset rotary printing machines and, in particular, to a new and useful offset rotary printing machine having a reversible printing arrangement to permit the running through of the material to be printed in either direction.

With the use of offset rotary machines for the printing of newspapers, the desire for full color flexibility which has been existing in newspaper printing for a long time and which has been satisfactorily met in relief printing has also been carried over into offset machine constructions. Reversible printing units are required but a difficulty in providing a machine which will operate in two directions is that the damping unit should be located so that it will act on the printing plate immediately after it contacts the rubber cylinder and before the inking rollers. Thus, it is necessary that the damping mechanism must lie on one side of the plate cylinder during one direction of rotation and on the other side during an opposite direction of rotation. This necessitates a very ice substantial space requirement which in the area of the plate cy inder is usually difficult to obtain without covering the cylinders so that it is difiicult to service the latter.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided an arrangement of inking rolls and damping rolls so that they contact the plate cylinder on respective opposite Sides of a central inking roll. The construction is such that one of the damping rollers may be exchanged for one of the inking rollers and this damping roller together with its associated damping liquid reservoir may be transferred to an opposite side of the plate cylinder and exchanged for one of the inking rollers in order to insure that the damping rollers contact the plate cylinder at the proper time in accordance with its direction of rotation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a reversible printing unit for offset rotary machines wherein one of the damping liquid rollers may be exchanged for an inking roller in order to shift the position at which the damping liquid is applied to a plate cylinder in accordance with a direction of rotation of the p ate cylinder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a printing unit for offset rotary machines which may operate either forwardly or in a reverse manner and which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a rotary printing machine constructed in accordance with the invention for clockwise plate cylinder rotation; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the rollers arranged for counterclockwise plate cylinder rotation.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, in particular, the invention embodied therein as indicated in FIG. 1 comprises an offset rotary printing machine which includes a rubber cylinder 2 arranged adjacent a counter-cylinder 2' between which a paper web 1 to be printed is directed. In the arrangement of FIG. 1, the rubber cylinder 2 rotates in a counterclockwise direction and the plate cylinder 3 with which it is in contact rotates in a clockwise direction.

In accordance with the invention, as the plate cylinder 3 rotates away from the rubber cylinder 2, it first contacts the end one of a series of damping rollers or wiping liquid rollers 4, 5 and 6. A wiping liquid is picked up from the reservoir 12 and transferred from the pick-up roller 6 and wiping rollers 4 and 5 to the plate cylinder.

After wiping rollers, the plate cylinder 3 contacts an intermediate or central inking roller 11 which is fed with ink from an applicator roll 10 and a series of ink rollers 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The ink roller 18 rotates in an ink reservoir 13 to pick-up ink for transfer to the roller 11 and the plate cylinder 3.

In addition to the central ink applicator roller 11, there is provided a secondary ink roller set comprising rollers 7, 8 and 9. The roller 9 is arranged in contact with the applicator 10 with a transfer of ink from the surface thereof through rollers 8 and 7 to another area of the plate cylinder 3 as the plate cylinder moves away from the central ink roller 11 toward the rubber cylinder 2.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the web 1 may be fed in an opposite direction between the rollers 2 and 2 as indicated in FIG. 2. In this latter event, the only change that need be made in respect to the liquid wiping rollers is that the wiping pick-up roller 6 and the reservoir for the wiping liquid 12 be oriented so that the roller 6 contacts the rollers 7 and 8 which previously acted as inking rollers but now act as wetting rollers so that the roller 7 contacts the surface of the printing plate 3 immediately after it passes a rubber cylinder 2 when it rotates in a counterclockwise direction as indicated in FIG. 2. A further change which is made is that the previous inking pick-up roller 9 is now disposed to pick-up ink from the applicator 10 and transfer it through the rollers and 4 which previously functioned as damping rollers, but now function as inking rollers so that ink is again applied on the opposite side of the central roller 11 as the plate cylinder rotates in a direction toward the rubber cylinder 2.

It should be appreciated that the applicator as well as the inking roller 11 carry ink to the plate cylinder 3 in both directions of rotation of the plate cylinder. The roll 6 always dips into the wiping liquid of the reservoir 12. With the invention it is merely necessary to inter change the roller 6 and the roller 9 in order that the damping liquid be applied to the plate cylinder at the proper time.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the appication of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A reversible printing unit for offset rotary machines comprising a rotatable rubber cylinder arranged to be contacted by paper to be printed, said rubber cylinder being rotatable in both directions about its axis for selectively advancing the paper to be printed over said cylinder in either of two opposed directions, a rotatable plate cylinder arranged in surface contact with said rubber cylinder at a location spaced angularly from the .location at which said rubber cylinder contacts the paper, an intermediate inking roller in surface contact with said plate cylinder for applying ink thereto, the location of contact between said intermediate roller and said plate cylinder is spaced an angular distance on the surface of said plate cylinder,

from the location of contact between said plate cylinder and said rubber cylinder, an applicator roll in surface contact with said intermediate roller for feeding ink thereto, an ink reservoir spaced from said applicator roller, a series arrangement of a plurality of ink rollers having one of said ink rollers in surface contact with said applicator roller and another of said ink rollers disposed in said ink reservoir for picking up ink and transferring the ink through said series arrangement of said ink rollers to said applicator roll, a series arrangement of a plurality of first rollers having one of said first rollers in surface contact with said plate cylinder between the location of contact between said plate cylinder and rubber cylinder and said plate cylinder and said intermediate roll, a series arrangement of a plurality of second rollers having one of said second rollers in surface contact with said plate cylinder on the opposite side of said intermediate roller from said first roller in surface contact with said plate cylinder, a displaceable reservoir of wetting liquid, a wetting roller in said reservoir of wetting liquid and displaceable therewith for transferring wetting liquid therefrom, a displaceable secondary ink roller arranged in contact with said applicator roll at an angular distance from the location of contact of said applicator roll with said intermediate roller and with said ink rollers, said wetting liquid reservoir and wetting roller and said secondary ink roller being positionable in accordance with the direction of rotation of said plate cylinder so that said wetting roller contacts one of said first and second rollers for supplying wetting liquid to said plate cylinder through one said series arrangement of said first and second rollers in advance of the surface contact of said plate cylinder with said applicator roll so that said secondary ink roller contacts said applicator roll and the other one of said series arrangement of said first and second rollers for transferring ink from said applicator roll to said plate cylinder at a location after said plate cylinder has been in surface contact with said intermediate inking roller.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner J. R. FISHER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 351-635 V I Dated June 2'5. lQ'TO Inventor) Paul Heimlicher It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

I- In the heading of the patent the filing date given ae January 2, 1966 should read January 2, 1968.

SIiNED AND SEALED (SEAL) Amt:

Edma mm mm: 2. sum. IR. testing Officer Gonlliasiom of Patents 

